My girlfriend came back from a month-long trip to visit her family in El Salvador, so we had some drinking to catch up on. There were about another 30 beers sampled at the Christmas Craft Beer Show, but I didn’t take notes on those.

Bottles & Cans

Palate Wrecker by Green Flash Brewing Company

Big notes of pine and citrus over a bready malt base. Lots of earthy bitterness that lingers.

Barrel Aged Belgian Tripel by Ravens Brewing Company

Definite notes of dark fruit and spices but only a touch of oak. It finished much too sweet.

Craft Made Pilsner by Phillips Brewing Company

Pretty standard North American pils. Slightly floral nose, touch of corn on the palate, and a crisp body.

Trainwreck (2017) by Phillips Brewing Company

Really good this year. Smooth and rich with notes of vanilla, currants, bourbon, and oak.

Trainwreck Barley Wine (2016) by Phillips Brewing Company

Aged one year. Not as much bourbon character as 2017. Glad they went back to barrels.

Accusation Ale by Phillips Brewing Company

Nice example of the ESB style. Very malt-forward and light with a touch of bitterness in the finish.

Really nice notes of pineapple and coconut in this Piña colada milkshake IPA. The lactose got a little chunky after settling, but rolling the bottle helped.

Sumo In A Sidecar by Evil Twin Brewing

This is a really weird idea for a beer—an apricot and umami IPA. The apricot came through but the umami made it taste a little off.

Levadura by Stillwater Artisanal

This was a really refreshing gose with notes of agave and lime plus a touch of salt.

Mexi-Gose by Odin Brewing Company

Another lightly tart Gose with notes of lime and sea salt.

Gose To Hollywood by To Øl

Really nice Gose with a touch of tropical fruit and salt. Refreshing and smooth.

G&T Gose by Anderson Valley Brewing Company

Really refreshing with notes of lemon, lime, juniper, and salt.

Pêche Mel Scaldis by Brasserie Dubuisson

Loads of fresh peach flavour with a touch of spice from the yeast. It also had hints of brandy.

Anxiety Ale (2017) by Phillips Brewing Company

Fruity esters and spicy phenols from the Belgian yeast complemented by a touch of sweetness and mild flavour from the added beetroots. I’m really glad they brought back the beets for this year’s version.

Gary’s Chocolate Orange by Central City Brewers + Distillers

Whistler Winter Dunkel this ain’t. Nothing on the nose, but hints of orange peel and bitter chocolate on the palate.

SeaQuench Ale by Dogfish Head Craft Brewery

Really thirst-quenching with tons of lime, black pepper, and sea salt. Finished really dry. Mix of three different styles that comes off like a saison.

Mera Belga by Cadejo Brewing Company

My girlfriend brought me this back from El Salvador. Not a bad Belgian Wit. It had a nice wheaty body with a touch of honey, vanilla, and zesty citrus.

Prescription Porter by Barkerville Brewing Co.

A nice chocolate porter with a mild touch of chili heat. Not sure if the chaga mushrooms added much though and the body was a little thin.

Blackberry Wheat (Sour Series) by Townsite Brewing

Really nice blackberry flavour over a grainy malt base. Just the right level of tartness and the wheat offsets the sweetness.

Space Armadillo by Twin Sails Brewing

This Sacc trois IPA was really juicy with notes of mango, pineapple, citrus and a touch of light funk. It finished nice and dry. I’ve missed this beer.

Woke Up Like This by Twin Sails Brewing

Big toasty and roasty notes of coffee, chocolate, and nuts, with a smooth and velvety mouthfeel.

Sept 5: Sierra Nevada Tap Takeover

Portland Craft, Vancouver, BC; 17:00–1:00

On Tuesday, September 5th, all the way from Chico, California we will be hosting the legendary Sierra Nevada for an exclusive Tap Takeover! This is the first time we’ve hosted this groundbreaking brewery and they have some special stuff lined up for us! Admission is free and the beer starts pouring at 5pm!

Sept 7: KPU Brewing Info Night at Moon Under Water in Victoria, BC

The Moon Under Water Brewery & Pub, Victoria, BC; 18:30–20:30

Ever wondered about a career in the craft beer industry?

The explosion of craft beer’s popularity is creating a huge demand for educated, trained brewers. Whether you’ve always dreamed about opening your own brewery or are looking for a career change, join us for the KPU Brewing Info Night on Sept. 7th at Moon Under Water Brewery & Pub to learn how the KPU Brewing & Brewery Operations Diploma can help you get there!

You’ll have the opportunity to meet with KPU Brewing faculty to learn more about the program. As well, some of our KPU Brewing grads and current students will be on hand to answer questions. If you’re curious about the KPU Brewing Diploma or a career in the industry, be sure to join us for a glass at the Moon Under Water Brewery & Pub. Pre-registration required.*

Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) offers the only university diploma in brewing in BC and is the first Canadian institution recognized by the Master Brewers Association for a standard of excellence in brewing education.

Sept 7: 10 Brewery Cask Night

The Churchill and Garricks Head, Victoria, BC; 17:00–1:00

Couldn’t make it to Beer Fest? Don’t worry we got you covered! The Churchill and Garricks Head are teaming up with 10 B.C breweries to bring you the ultimate cask night! Each brewery will be bringing their own unique style and you can bet there will be something for everyone.

Sept 7: Hearthstone x Stillwater Beer Pairing Dinner

Billy Miner Alehouse & Cafe, Maple Ridge, BC; 18:00–22:00

Join us for a beer pairing Dinner and Tap Takeover at Billy Miner Pub. The tap takeover and dinner will feature Hearthstone and Stillwater Artisanal beers. The dinner will include 6 beers and 5 courses for $65 including Tax and Gratuity. Brought to you by The Springs Group & BeerThirst.

If you have a dietary restriction please contact Milly Miner through eventbrite before buying tickets.

Tickets are $40.00 for Friday or Saturday (incl tax) plus fees and includes your taster glass, program and BC Transit Get Home Safe bus ticket. They can be purchased in advance online or at the *Ticket Rocket Box Office (101-804 Broughton Street, Victoria Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm). *Subject to availability.

TOKENS: One token per tasting. Tokens cost $1.50 each for a 4oz taster. Available for purchase on-site, cash only.

Tickets are $40.00 for Friday or Saturday (incl tax) plus fees and includes your taster glass, program and BC Transit Get Home Safe bus ticket. They can be purchased in advance online or at the *Ticket Rocket Box Office (101-804 Broughton Street, Victoria Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm). *Subject to availability.

TOKENS: One token per tasting. Tokens cost $1.50 each for a 4oz taster. Available for purchase on-site, cash only.

Sept 9: Andina Brewing tap takeover

Smiths is very excited to have the much talked about Andina Brewing Company come to Vic to pour some of their amazing beers as the finishing touch for the Great Canadian Beer Fest.

Located in (Y)East Van on Powell Street, Andina focuses on making great beers with an ode to their Colombian heritage. They have created some awesome beers with ingredients from South America and will be showcasing a number of them for all of us at this event.

As an added bonus, we are teaming up with them to make a special collaborative brew for this evening and may have another surprise in store for you.

This year’s volume is unique in that previous volumes have contained 12 355ml bottles, whereas this year’s contains four 650ml bottles. I expect this is to do with the logistics of collaborating with US breweries.

This year’s pack will be released on February 28th and if it’s anything like the previous two volumes, you will not want miss it!

East Vancouver’s Parallel 49 Brewing Company is partnering with four American breweries for an old school hip-hop-themed collaboration mixer pack

Vancouver, B.C. – February 7th, 2017 – On February 28th, Parallel 49 Brewing Company will launch their third Brews Brothers collaboration pack. Putting a West Coast, old school hip-hop spin on this year’s mixer pack, Parallel 49 Brewing Company has joined forces with four West Coast breweries based out of the United States. The mixer-pack includes four 650ml bomber-style bottles and will be available for purchase at select BC Liquor Stores and private liquor stores throughout the province.

Beer lovers can look forward to all-new, limited edition brews such as Blazing Arrow, a tawny IPA made with Gigantic Brewing Company (Portland, OR), What’s Golden, an “east meets west” IPA developed with Green Flash Brewing (San Diego, CA), Gettin’ It, a Northern farmhouse style beer made with 49th State Brewing (Anchorage, AK), and Baby Got Back, a hoppy hefeweizen beer brewed with Scuttlebutt Brewing Company (Everett, WA). All beers in the mixer-pack will pay homage to old school hip-hop songs from West Coast groups.

“As far apart as the breweries are from each other, it was neat to see how much we had in common,”said Graham With, Head Brewer at Parallel 49 Brewing Company. “The process of coming up with recipes with each brewery from the United States was surprisingly smooth. Collaborating with these breweries shed light on our similarities and allowed us to get ideas from other perspectives.”

The Brews Brothers Volume 3 mixer-pack will be available on February 28th, 2017 at select BC Liquor Stores and private liquor stores throughout the province. For more information on Parallel 49 Brewing Company please visit parallel49brewing.com.

About Parallel 49 Brewing Company:

Parallel 49 Brewing Company is an East Vancouver brewery brewing up some of the most unique and high quality craft beers in BC. Since opening in 2012, their cheekily named brews have become staples amongst craft beer enthusiasts. Staples include Filthy Dirty IPA, Gypsy Tears Ruby Ale, Jerkface 9000 Wheat Ale and WobblyPop Pale Ale. Parallel 49 Brewing Company’s Craft Lager won gold at the 2015 BC Beer Awards and the 2016 Canadian Brewing Awards.

Visit Parallel 49 Brewing Company’s tasting room, retail store, and restaurant, set to reopen this spring at 1950 Triumph Street in East Vancouver. Parallel 49 6 packs, 12 packs and limited release bottles are available at private and government retailers across British Columbia.